If I Had Been A Little Nicer
by Anonymous Prick 3
Summary: What if Cole had been a little more compassionate when training Kou? ColexKou pairing, as violent as the videogame with a bit of dark humor, no lemons! This is my first fanfic, but I do plan on making this story past 100K words, and plan on updating this story at least every 2 days, and most chapters will at least be 1K words. Don't worry, I won't have 100 chapters.
1. That First Leap

Conduit, Not Human

Cole was terrified. When he had finally gotten to Kuo, his worst fears were confirmed. That bastard, Joseph Bertrand, had experimented on her. She was as cold as death when Cole had carried her to Zeke as the police held off Bertrand's militia. Despite it all, she was conscious and managed to walk herself to Zeke, telling Cole to go help. Cole knew she would say something like that, Kuo was always thinking about getting the job done.

"Are you sure? You like cr- I mean you don't look your best Kuo."

"Your way with words never cease to amaze me Cole, honestly."

"Heh, alright. You get yourself to Zeke, you hear me? You'll probably want to lay low, so Zeke's taking you back to our place. I'll finish up here, now get going!"

Cole starts to walk away when his honed senses barely detected the whisper of a thank escape from Kuo. He smiled, until he remembered that the men just across the street from him worked for the man that did this to Kuo, and then grinned manically. _Oooooh yeah. Skulls will be crushed._ Thought Cole as he saw Zeke driving off in a truck with Kuo in the back .

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"That was the last transformer, nice job Cole. You just restored power to the whole district. That'll make finding Bertrand a hundred times easier for you Cole, considering you'll be able to actually dish out some damage without worrying about recharging."

"You don't have to tell me twice, thanks for the help Zeke. By the way, how's Kuo?" Cole tried to keep his voice steady, but he knew Zeke would pick up on his fears. Truth was, Cole had so many slip ups he had a few too many close calls. After all, he was fighting the grunts of Bertrand's army. On a good day, these guys might as well sow bull's-eyes onto their uniforms, but all day they've been flanking him and getting lucky shots on him. He couldn't help it though, he was nervous about Kuo. Zeke said that when they got back, he offered her some rest, and 2 advils later and as Zeke put it, "She was out cold." If Cole was really honest, he couldn't help but admit how satisfying it would've been to shockwave Zeke off the roof, just a little off the roof, of course.

"She's up and about, Cole. Although, I gotta warn you, when I was taking care of her, it felt just like when I watched over you way back when at Empire city. As it turns out, I wasn't that off. She waiting for you at Arlington Cemetery."

"What are you talking about Zeke? What do you mean?"

"Just go brother, trust me. Besides, I gotta go do some more reconnaissance."

"Alright, thanks Zeke. And hey, one of these days people are going to come together and realize I haven't done anything about that infamous peeping Tom women have been complaining about."

"Haha, don't worry Cole, I'll find him for you one day. I'll keep looking near ladies windows, that's probably the best place to find him."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Kuo? Kuuooo! I'm here. It's me. Cole." Cole couldn't help but admit that if he were being watched from some weird 3rd person perspective of his life, he would've laughed at himself right there and then." Then he noticed Kou step out from behind a grave. Her hair was ice blue, her eyeliner blue, and she was wearing a tank top with see through lace on the top, enough for some innocent cleavage to be shown, a fact that Cole didn't let slip past him.

"Wow. Wow, that is a really new look for you."

"Yeah, yeah…. Do you like it?"

"Oh yeah. Totally, all you're missing is the cape. Don't you think you're overdoing it?"

" It's the new me. It's not very easy to hide." Kuo said, her voice getting softer until it was almost a whisper. Cole looked at her, recognizing the mixed emotions in her voice.

"Kuo, you ok?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. But it's cute that you care" Kou says as she closes the distance between them to put her hand on Cole's cheek, only to sting him.

"God dammit!"

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry, I I didn't mean t…"

"You have got to learn how to control your powers Kuo!"

Kou turned her back and walked away, turned around, was about to say something and turned around once more.

"Don't _yell_ at me! You don't think I'm trying. This is all new to me!"

Cole immediately understood Kuo. He was the same with Zeke, only he had his best friend encouraging him throughout the whole thing as well as Trish. Cole didn't think agents like Kuo had many people that they could be close to, and Cole knew with John and Wolfe dead, she had no one in New Marais.

"I've been at this longer than you. I can help you. Believe me, if anyone knows what you're going through, it's me. No, I know exactly how you feel."

"_No you don't know Cole!_ You got your powers through an explosion; it was over in an instant. What they did to me was _slow!"_

"I'll teach you. Just let me be here for you Kuo."

"… Alright. When do we start?"

"Right now. Let's see what you can do."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I'm telling you Kou, you and me, Un. Stopable."

"I have to admit, I do feel better. Thanks Coach. I'll leave you alone, I'm sure you're wanted by someone somewhere."

Cole knew it was now or never. "Kuo, wait."

"Is something wrong Cole?" Kou says as she teleports back.

" I wanted to pick up on where we left off." Cole says walking up to Kuo.

" What do you mean?"

"I believe you were saying something about me being cute or something." Cole says as he grabs her hand and puts it on his cheek. Kuo somehow managed to blush, which actually stumped Cole, as he wondered if her blood was frozen or not.

"Cole, I'm touched, but we couldn't do this. I'm an agent and we can't make relat- Actually, I already said I'm not, didn't I? Figures you'd hit on the first Conduit you see." Kou said trying to hide what she hoped wasn't too obvious of a blush.

"Oh ho ho, but that's where you're wrong. The first conduit I met was Nix, and trust me, while it's nice to have a friend who you can relate to, there's nothing going on there. And I always had my pick of human woman, even before my powers, I'll have you know."

"I don't know about all of those, but I'll take your word for it. If you can manage to have a day where neither of us are being shot at, I'd definitely take up an offer for dinner. Maybe even a movie." Kuo managed to squeak out without stuttering.

"I'll see you then, madam." Cole says as he kissed her hand, with a slight blush also tinting his cheeks.

Kuo teleports away with one last stare at Cole. Only when she's gone does he release the breathe he didn't realize he was holding in. He then hears a _zzzzrrr_ from his radio. "Oh fu-."

"Hahahahahahahahaha. Madam?! Madam?! Who were all these human women swooning over you Cole? I sure as hell never met them! Ahahahaha. OMG Nix! Nix! Come over here for a second. You got to hear this!" Zeke says wheezing, a grin plastered on his face despite knowing the danger he just put himself in.

Cole stops dead in his mad rush to the rooftop on his noble mission to blast Zeke off the roof. "Zeke, you know I've never threatened you before. But you are ten seconds away from digging your own grave."

"Ehe, heh, heh. Relax Cole, Nix isn't here, I was just pulling your leg…. Cole? Cole?"

"Just for that, I'm adding 10 ft. to your fall."

"Good one, Cole."

"I can see the building from here. You better start running."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


	2. So, It's A Date? Part 1

So, Is it A Date? Part 1

**[Author's Note]**

** Ok, so I don't know how to add Author's notes, so I'm assuming I write it as part of the story. I don't have any reviews or views as a matter of fact, if you do read this story, please leave a review or private message me. Is the way I write dialogue confusing, or am I good as I occasionally throw in the name of the person who's being talked to, and keep the conversations between two people? PLEASE review, especially if you weren't satisfied. I consider myself very literate, so I don't shy away from using big words, that being said; anyone who reports a word misspelled gets a cookie. **

"Thank you sir! God bless you Cole McGrath!"

"It was no problem mam. I'm just sorry you had to be here to catch that stray bullet. I should've been on top of this." Said Cole to the fifth citizen that he had to heal due to being caught in the crossfire between an all-out brawl on the outskirts of the swamps which Cole dubbed, "The rumble from down under, Hicks vs Freaks!" Cole for once had managed to notice this fight without the aid of a bullet whizzing by him, and was content to watch them duke it out. That was until he saw the first civilian casualty, then he noticed how many people were in danger, a skill he accredited to all of the needless deaths that he could've prevented. Cole decided to rush in before any more people were hurt.

In the end, the swamp creatures had defeated the militia, who Cole had to admit, were at least trying to aim at the monsters rushing at them. With just a few stragglers, Cole was glad that it was the Freaks, at least this way, he could climb one of the nearby shacks that may or may not be used for moonshine and fry a few of them until one managed to climb up. As dumb as they may be, and as powerful as the Amp was, Cole didn't want to be slammed around by a group of those things ever again in hand to hand combat. Zeke never let that go, mentioning it for shits and giggles here and there. As he fell through the air and delivered a final blow to the last Freak, Cole heard someone calling him through the radio. Backing a few feet away from the now burnt corpse, Cole answered.

"I'm here. What happened?"

"Cole, it's Kuo!Listen, I just got this intel saying that the Militia are going to be staging an attack against the Swamp Monsters today. I'm not sure what time or where exactly, but when can count on the militia being uncoordinated, we have to get there before them and make sure no civilians get in the way Cole!"

"Kou, relax, relax. I just finished off the stragglers. The attack already happened, and I jumped in for the civilian's sake. Then I had to fight off the mob of people thanking me as the coast turned clear."

"Oh, well… way to be on top of things Cole." Kou said rather embarrassed.

"So, was that the only thing you were counting on today?" Cole asked with a bit of excitement beginning to rush through him.

"Um, yeah. I had kinda planned on spending the whole day scoping out the districts looking for clues on where this would be and preparing for it, now, I guess I'm just waiting on a lead to pan out in a few days. Why?"

"Well, with Bertrand on the flooded island with those ice mercenaries, and Zeke still looking for specs on those transformers, I don't have anything to do either. I think this is the first time either of us had had a bit of peace, in the sense that no one's shooting at us in the immediate future."

Blushing at the mere thought, "Cole, are you um…?"

"Well, yes. I guess I am. Have you eaten yet? Is lunch good with you? I don't really know any restaurants, but a quick call to Zeke should fix that, and the people here practically call their champion, so I'm thinking I could take you out to some fancy place and maybe get a free meal. If you'd go with me, that is. So, what do you say?" Cole asked with just a hint of nervousness coating his words.

"Cole, I'd…. love to.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Sorry I ended it here guys. I just felt it was the best place to end the chapter, as I want to warp to Kou's POV for the next part. In the next chapter I will include the story of when Cole became a human bumper ball, which will probably be told in Zeke's perception to Dr. Wolfe or maybe Nix. **


	3. Was This A Date? Part 2

IF Chapter 3

Kuo's POV

My God. McGrath had asked her out on a date! Kuo, being the professional she was, had never thought about Cole like that. Hell, it had been a while since she had thought of any man like that. True, when she saw an especially great looking guy, she couldn't help a dirty thought or two, but agency training had taught her to not make any personal relationships. She didn't disagree with the rules, but she thought it was impossible if she worked with the same people for years. She couldn't help but become friends with John, and Wolfe, and the recruits from the agency that she had bled alongside. Now though, with the Lock Down on New Marais, and every agent that was working the case with her dead, the agency had considered Wolfe's plan a failure, and were now resorting in investing everything with the army. When Kuo had disagreed, insisting that Cole was the answer, they had cut her off, fired and iced. That was when Kuo knew she had invested everything in Cole… and Zeke. And Wolfe of course, Yeah.

"Should I wear something special? Is this a dating date? Or do I go casual? Do I even qualify as casual?" Kuo said talking to herself. _Wait, did I even say yes? I mean, yeah, I might have flirted with him a bit at the cemetery, but I was just being nice. I don't even like Cole that way. _"Aaaahhh! Forget it. I'll just go and wing it. Oh who am I kidding, I haven't winged anything since the 6th grade.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Cole had invited Kuo to some fancy restaurant called Le Cinq. Real highbrow kind of place, granted Kuo had plenty of exposure to all kinds of places. In an agent's life, Kuo thought she had seen everything. She wasn't so sure what she was doing here, until she realized that she couldn't think of a single reason to not get attached to Cole. So, here she was, waiting for him. Naturally, she had shown up three hours early to scope out the place, who's going to be working while they were there. And then spent the next two hours rehearsing possible dinner conversations. Yeah, Kuo knew she had too much free time.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kuo saw Cole climb down a roof a few blocks away. She had to give him credit, he almost always jumped off roofs. She figured he wanted to attract as little attention as possible, something she confirmed when she noticed he didn't have the Amp. As cute as the idea was, Kuo had stopped bothering with the mini-crowd constantly snapping pics at her. " Cole. I'm glad you're here. I was beginning to think you'd never show."

"And stand up the beautiful Lucy Kuo, I might be a knuckleheaded deviant, but I'm not stupid. So, shall we?"  
" We may." Kou said as Cole opened the door for him.

"Excuse me sir, do you- oh my. Wow, it's the electri- I mean Cole McGrath! How, how, how can I help you today sir?" Said a rather young-looking waiter.

"My friend and I would like a table please." Cole said calmly.

"Uhh, sure thing sir. Do you, well, have a reservation?"

"See that's the thing, let's take a quick walk bud. Hey, is that camera yours? Maybe we could work something out, Kuo, go ahead and find yourself a seat anywhere you'd like. I'll work out the details." Cole said walking into the kitchen with the young man sucking up every word he said.

"I wonder what Cole is going to do. He wouldn't threaten him, would he?" _Would Cole go so out of his way for me?" _Kuo ended up deciding not to overthink it too much, ironically enough. "Oooohh, that's' the best view ever!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So the guys asks me, 'Why would some college hot-shot want to be a bike messenger?' And I said, Honestly, to piss of my parents!"

"Ahahaha, you're terrible! You know that Cole?"

"I know, I know. So what about you? What was your last job? And no, even though your new job is being a super hero, being an agent doesn't count."  
"Well, I the only other job I had was working at a small coffee shop. That job covered everything my scholarship didn't and I honestly worked there more for the experience than the cash." Kou said, finishing off her glass of wine.

"Kuo, how was there so much about you that I didn't know?" Cole asked looking out the glass wall next to them, refusing to make eye contact and embarrass himself.

"Well, no one's ever asked. I always figured that people wouldn't care about me." This was when Kuo noticed that Cole wasn't paying her attention. _Ohhh, that does it! He acts great the entire date… I mean lunch… and now of all times does he ignore me? As I pour my heart out! "Cole McGra-."_

"Hey Kuo, look at that over there." Cole says without taking his eyes off whatever it was.

"What could be so- COLE! That's one of those dirty bombs!"

" A bomb? What are you talking about? That cop over there would've made those people step back if that was the case."

"Cole, we have to get over there _now!" _Kuo practically shouts as she teleports about half way to the bomb in the air. Cole pulls out about $50 more dollars than he needed to pay the bill. _Damn, to think I worked for all that money and didn't even get to show off to Kuo._ He was about to start the dash for the stairs when he saw the bomb go off. Kuo was still teleporting through the air when a piece of rubble flew through the air and got her. "KUO!" Cole shouted as he threw his wallet on the table and jumped through the window.


	4. A Promise Made

IF2 Chapter 4

**Ok, so what did you guys think of the cliff-hanger back there? I've noticed plenty of views, yet no reviews. Come on guys, leave a review. It really helps knowing someone liked it, or maybe they found something confusing, or they don't like the way I do something. Leave a review telling me about a word I spelled wrong along with your credit card number, your address, and your social security number and you'll receive your cookie in two to three business day! P.S. I don't own inFamous or any of the characters! (Did I do good ? Canz I has foods now?)**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Cole's POV

"NO, no, no, no, no!" Said Cole as he fell through the air. He realized he would've gotten there faster if he had glided, but knew he wasn't in the best state of mind right now.

"Kuo!?" Cole yelled as he finally reached her in time to help her up.

"I'm ok Cole. A few cuts and scratches, but fine. Start to help those who were caught in the blast. Don't bother with the ones closest, no one could've survived that."  
" What kinda bomb was that? It was glowing right before I saw it go off." Cole asked with his back to her as he watched the aura of his healing power spread out over a group.

" I'm not sure, but I thought I saw what looked like, what do you call them? Blast Shards? Yeah, thinking about it now, if someone managed to harness their power, the destructive possibilities are endless."

" Cole, I've seen reports of these things. It seems that there are never less than one when these things start to go off. I think it's the work of a lone bomber. Cole, get to the rooftops and scan around for crowds, we gotta stop these things from going off somehow!"

"Right, I'll get right on it." Cole only needed to grind between buildings for a minute before he noticed a particularly large crowd. He didn't know whether these things were proximity or set on some sort of timer, so he decided to just glide in from the jump off a grind. He leaned forward on the power cable to build up extra speed. Once he was sent flying off he realized he might have put in a little too much effort into that jump. This was confirmed when he slammed against a cop and proceeded to slam both of them into the bomb on the wall.

"Well, I know it's not proximity now." Said Cole as he rubbed his head.

"What the hell was that? My God, I know the whole precinct is real grateful you freed us from Bertrand, but come on man! We have machines for this kind of thing." Said the disgruntled cop who was picking himself off the floor.

"Really? Why haven't you guys brought it out then?" Cole said, confused.

"Oh, well, see. The thing is, we _used_ to have machines. The whole lockdown thing is a real bitch, you know? And none of the officers are willing to go pry one of these things off a wall. We still aren't sure what sets them off, but we're assuming it's got some kind of timer on it."

[The telltale beep beep of Cole's radio goes off]

"Cole? It's me, Kuo. What's the situation on those bombs?"  
"I found another one. It hasn't gone off yet though. I need some ways to disarm this thing Kuo, can you think of anything?"

"None. I haven't seen one of these things in person yet. Let me see if I can get a hold of Zeke. I try not to radio in on him too much, as unprofessional as he is, I have to admit he's done a damn fine job of infiltrating the militia."

"Zeke? Zeke? It's Kuo, I need your help with something big right now." 

"Zeke, come on brother, pick up." Cole said a bit less desperate sounding than he thought it would come out. 

"…"

"I don't think he's going to answer Kuo." 

" God damnit, you guys come at the worst times you know that?!" 

" _Zeke!_" They both yell at him.

" What's the problem guys?" 

" Remember those bombings I talked with you about?"

"Yeah, I remember Kou, so what? No wait, lemme guess. Knowing you two, Cole's probably trapped in some building rigged with the stuff, and it's slowly flooding."

"Don't be ridiculous Zeke. I'm only standing in front of one right now. And, umm, I saw a blast core and tried to pull it out….. it's beeping now."  
_"Cole!"_ Zeke and Kuo scream at him.

" I'm sorry guys. I see these things and I get so excited I lose myself. Once I climbed a whole five stories before I knew it. What do I do guys, I have a feeling that this whole buildings going down if I let this thing blow."

" Cole, you said this thing had a blast core in it? Why not just absorb it?" Zeke practically screamed.

"That's because I don't how to. Usually I touch these things and it's done kinda automatically."

The cop having seen Cole tinkering with the bomb had already backed the crowd off, and overheard the ominous beeping it was now giving off. "You're the freaking electric man! Can you just zap all the power out of the damn thing?" 

" Did you guys catch that? You think it would work? I can't think of anything going off if this thing only runs on an electric current."

"It's worth a try Cole." Zeke said with an air of finality.

"Go for it Cole." Kuo said with a touch more of courage.

"I'm just going to stand over there then." Said the cop.

"….. Really?" Cole said dumbstruck.

_Here goes nothing, _Cole thought as he tried to drain the bomb. He only got a spark though. _Guess I gotta get closer._ He tried once more, with the same result._ Guess I'll have to take it full blast if this doesn't work out._ ZZZZZZZzzzz.

"It worked guys, it worked." Cole said, grinning as he grabbed the blast shard, absorbing it now that it wasn't being used.

" That's great Cole. I have to get going now guys. And to think, I had her on the ropes! Bastards…" Zeke mumbles over the radio.

"Zeke, you forgot to take your thumb off the button." Cole said with a chuckle.

"Cole!" Kuo screamed as she teleported to a rooftop nearby.

"Have a nice day officer." Cole said as he started climbing a telephone pole nonchalantly.

"I'm glad you're alright," Kou said as she walked up to Cole. She decided to hug him after a brief pause.

" Yeah, I'll admit, I'd sooner jump headfirst into a fight without knowing how screwed I am then take a calculated risk ever again." Cole said cheekily as he hugged her back after a second of shock.

After taking a step back and putting her hands on her hip, she asked, "Hey Cole, aren't I supposed to be cold? How come you never flinch when we make,.. contact?" She says with a mischievous glint in her eye.

"Kuo, it's going to take a lot more than that to ever make me feel anything less than glad to see you." Cole says a bit too quick to respond.

"Aaawww Cole. That's so sweet of you. Come here, sit next to me." Kuo said patting the empty space next to her on the ledge she was dangling her feet over.

_Thank God Zeke had bitched to me about damn near having his big toe fall of when Kuo stood on his foot for a few seconds last week. I knew something like this would pop up. _Real_ slick Cole, "I'd say that was pretty, cool, of you. _Cole thought to himself, then realized he would've jumped off a building if he knew it could hurt him.

" So tell me Cole, can I expect explosions every time we get together?" Kuo asked, looking off to the side.

"Get together? Oh, well yeah. I guess so." Cole said trying not to sound so sad, and failing.

"Cole. I had so much fun, you know I did. Cole, come on. I didn't mean it like that. Don't get me wrong, you're a great guy. But would this really be good for us in a situation like this? Where one of us could be here one second and be gone the next?"

"Honestly, I can't imaging many other things motivating me more to not quit and give in to the pain and keep on pushing through it than getting to see you Kuo. I'll be leaving now." Cole said in a dead tone as walked over to an electric rail and grinded away.

Kuo felt terrible, especially because of how hard those words had rocked her. She knew, that now, she had to take the blind leap he took with her, and make up for this. "Cole McGrath. I promise from here on out, I'll work to be worth you." Kuo announced to the universe.


	5. A Human Bumper Table

IF2 Chapter Extra #1

"I swear to God, Nix. Cole went up at least 3 stories into the air!"

"Ahahahahaha! And then you took the shot! Right Zeke, tell me you took it out then?" Nix asked, about only half her beer flying into the air as she flailed around., Nix didn't worry as she teleported right under the would-be tragedy with an open mouth.

"Now, for the first time ever, I think Bertrand's plan of giving normal humans powers could really be a beautiful thing." Zeke said with awe in his eyes.

"Get on with story, Z-man!" Nix said, teleporting back to her chair, only upside down this time.

"Well, there ain't too much more to tell. The second Cole touched the ground, those Swamp buggers swarmed him, and sent him flying. I swear, for a second I thought those things could think. Sure as hell looked like their plan was to bounce him back and forth between their claw-thingys."

"And Cole didn't fry you dead on the spot once you helped him out?"

"Well, he probably would've, but I think that one of those things might've knocked him in the head a bit too hard. He seemed surprised when I finally helped him out. A half an hour later." Zeke said with the small smile on his face turning into a shit-eating grin by the end of the sentence.

" So wait, hehehe, I get how he didn't zap him because he was in the middle of the swamp without anything to recharge with, but why didn't he just hit them with the amp?"  
"He had dropped it into a deep puddle the 2nd time he was flung into the air."

"Oh my God, Zeke. If he ever learns this, he will kill you. You realize that, don't you?" Nix said with about as much seriousness as a kitten.

"Yeah, well, he's real thankful I rescued him once they started getting near a river."

"OH MY GOD ZEKE RUN!" Nix screamed as she momentarily forgot she could teleport and scramble behind the couch next to Zeke.

"ZZZEKE!" Cole said as he shot a magnum bolt at his favorite chair, while Kuo was lying on the floor of the building Cole had taken off from.

" Gotta run Nix!" Zeke shouted as he ran off the edge of the building.

"Idiot," Nix said as she teleported next to him midair, only to grab his hand and teleport to the next block in what Zeke shortly deduced was a broom closet, considering Nix was sitting on his lap with no room to move.

"What the hell were you thinking Z? Nix said trying to act mad.

" What? It was only two stories… And don't even try to act mad Nix, I know you too well."

"Yeah, well, agghh whatever. I should've left you to break your legs."

"If you did though, we wouldn't be here right now, would we Nix?" _He's not wrong, _thought Nix.

"Scooch over a bit, lemme' get comfy. We're going to be here for a while. If I teleport now, Kuo and Cole would notice it."

_I don't know how they'd be able to do that, but I'm not about to complain._

"Sure thing, Nix."


	6. Karmic Justice

**Hey Guys! It's that Anonymous Prick again! For all (4) people that have reviewed, thanks a bunch! For the rest of those who have read my story (all 200 of you!) and those visitor( all 115, maybe idk actually :D ) Seriously, all the reviews said great things, and one of them was on some typos, which is almost if not more appreciated. This is dedicated to the Guest that reviewed, "Lol lol…. lol awesome." Really, um, helpful!**

Beep-Beep

"Cole, I have to warn you. He's gotten a little bigger since last time."

"Yeah, whatever. Where am I meeting him this time?" Cole said with a bitter tone that made Kuo flinch. Despite her trying, she hadn't gotten through to Cole. Sure, when they needed to, they worked greatly together. But when Kuo wasn't needed, or wasn't keeping up, Cole got up a bit, harsh. Granted, he only acted kindest to Kuo when they she did an extra good job when killing something, which did little to put Kuo's mind at ease. In fact, Cole was getting worse and worse, and most vile of all, at least to Kuo, he was spending more and more time with Nix. "Aaaggghhhh. Don't think like that. No no no no no." Surprisingly enough, Zeke also seemed annoyed, although Kuo never thought much about it.

" I just sent you the addres to your phone's g.p.s. Actually, you're meeting us. Zeke managed to get a shift where Bertrand does his experiments. He doesn't know where it is yet, but he'll be able to get us a chance to break in the next time he thinks Bertrand will be there."

"Why do you- never mind, what do you mean, when he thinks? " Cole asked panting a bit, most likely on his way there now.

"Well, he says that there's constant watch there, yet Bertrand can't be. He's had too many reports of Bertrand being sighted other places. He thought there might be a double at play, but all of his appearances pan out. We'll just have to wait and see, and is there something wrong with me? Me me me showing up that is!" Kuo stuttered, hoping to come off mad at the end.

"No reason in particular. I'm almost there."

The giant ice man looked down at Kuo. "I have to admit." He said, although Kuo would've described it more as a screech, " that he seems to have given you- how do te' American's say it? The cold shoulder." Kuo only stared at him. " I would so freeze you in a heartbeat if I could." The monster heard Kuo mumble. "Mein Gott, that is very lol." He rumbled.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

" Hey Grieger. I'm here. You look huge! I fought a mercenary as big as you once. I'll admit, it wasn't very easy. It took me ten minutes! And that was after I got rid of all the goons."

" Well, he was probably a mindless hulking beast at that point. You see, not many of the mercenaries could handle the constant pain of our bones growing, much less an average person. In fact, I think I am the only known case of sanity in my entire, er, species. I'll admit it was terrifying, but this is the final stage, and I haven't lost my mind, obviously, so I think I'll be alright from now on. And with this power, I'm invincible." The ice "man" said, spacing out a bit towards the end.

"You really make casual greetings rather hard, you know that?" Kuo said as she stepped out from behind the rather large column of a leg. "Hey Cole."

"Hn," Cole grunted at her. "Let's get going. Where are we coming in from?"

"Here," Grieger said as he launched a large chunk of ice at the factory wall. " We big men like making big entrances! BLITZKRIEG!" He shouted as he stormed in on the Ice Mercenaries.

" Why are they here!?" Cole shouted to Kuo as he took the cat ways for an impeccable line of sight on the poor bastards stuck down with Griegor.

" I don't know. Zeke said that Bertrand ships practically everything through his docks, so I figure there must be plenty of heavy weapons they could be after, none as effective as super powers granted. Cole maybe-," Was what Kuo said as a grenade exploded at her feet, sending her flying over the cat way to the floor a harsh 3 stories below.  
"Kuo!" Cole grunted as he was shot in the arm the second he tried to get over to Kuo. Some mercenaries had managed to launch themselves up to the cat ways and survive Grieger on the way up. "I'm pinned! Grieger, cover Kuo!" Cole shouted, taking a potshot at the mercanaries. Only to realize that Grieger would've never been able to hear him over his rather maniacal cackling. "That's going to be a problem." Cole said to no one in particular when he saw that Kuo still hadn't gotten up. If Cole could easily see her chest going up and down, reassuringly, he also realized with dread that any mercenary worth his salt could easily take her out then and there. Upon that realization, he felt something tear through him that he hadn't felt since fighting The Beast at Empire. When Zeke had asked about it, Cole said he hadn't realized he had been overdoing it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Sure, I had been giving it 100%, and look what it got me." Cole said rather somberly.

"I know that Cole, but if you could do this now, imagine how it'll work out when you get an overcharge on your powers with this Wolfe guy? What was that, by the way? You were shooting like, major rockets, but you didn't do that whole recoil thing. You were shooting them off as fast as any bolt."

"I don't want to talk about it. It doesn't even matter anymore, it's not like I'll be able to do it ever again."

" Yeesh, with a little training, I'm telling you Cole, you'll be back to your old self, only even better."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Well, as Zeke would say, Cole is about to go into Karmic Overload." Cole said as he regrettably stop resisting the power, also allowing himself to satisfy that little craving for power that came out most when he did this. But Cole knew better, it was too much power, and it scared people. It scared those closest to him, and hell, it even scared him, afterwards that is. For the net minute, Cole felt like a God.

"Come and get it you Sons of bitches!" Cole said as he started to fire off rockets off into the air above the mercenaries, along with grenades at their feet, followed by a single bolt, which redirected a barrage of fire straight to into the backs of his enemies. "RRrrraaahhhhhh!" Cole was finished with these fools. He started to blast mercenaries that he saw were across the lot with precision, through Grieger's legs for style. When he felt his infinite power start to wane, he rushed over to the totally not forgotten Kuo to heal her with an overcharge thrown in for kicks. As he put his hands to her chest for the near lethal dose of power that would've made a normal human's heart explode, he took a second to notice how much of a women Kuo was. Granted, Nix strutted around town for all to see, Cole had to admit to himself that Kuo's modesty was a bit more appealing, at least to him, plus he couldn't help but pick up that Kuo had more to be modest about than Nix. "Oh God, I'm turning into Zeke." As he finally saved Kuo's life as if he were merely giving her a hand.


	7. Kuo's Fury

IF2 Chapter 7

**Hey guys, we've hit 400 views! And a bit more than a 100 visitors, which I'm assuming means that they're re-viewed the story several times! That's great, and I made sure to make this chapter extra long to celebrate. Although, I've only gotten five reviews. Come on guys, leave a review, so make sure to leave one if you especially liked something, or didn't like something, any suggestions or pitches for future chapters? And for the guest who said "mans are pigs, how about little lemons?" Are you calling men pigs? And why are you asking for a lemon after that?! P.S While I will have romantic and/or fluffy chapters later, there won't be any smut here! Maybe love making will be slightly glimpsed and then obviously implied, if that's what the people want.**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Kuo practically jumped when Cole revived her, then she actually flew through the air as she involuntarily flew to Grieger. She was spazzing out a bit, but time seemed to be going agonizingly slow. She saw everything clearly, and felt wired. Her nerves were faster than ever, taking the phrase lightning reflexes to a whole new level. She managed to zip back to Cole.

" Cole, I feel great! Times going backwards, and I'm practically teleporting, and I've got to tell you how I feel! Cole I want to be with you but at the same time I don't and I'm afraid of being with you and I don't know why and I think Zeke is dating Nix and I'm afraid you like Nix or that you're already with her and that you hate me and I think I need to stop because everything is going black." Kuo said all in a blur of mumbling and slurring. Kuo finally passed out to what Cole assumed was lack of air.

"Kuo. Slow down, you're talking too fast and I didn't catch a bit of it. Did you say Zeke? Did something happen? Kuo? You don't look so well, Kuo!" Cole caught her before she hit the floor.

" Herr McGrath, I need your help here, now!" Grieger said as a barrage of rpg's were fired into his left hand, which shattered into a thousand pieces.

"I'm coming!" He said as he carefully dragged Kuo behind a crate for safety.

He started a mad dash to help Grieger, who at some point had taken out the Ice Mercenaries only to barge into the one factory that actually had Bertrand's militia in it.

As he took cover behind a crate, Cole's most omnipotent power worked it's magic again, as about half the militia decided to fire their rockets at him. He dove behind Grieger, who was down to no arms and attempting to stomp out his foes. Cole saw the error in his tactical retreat when the other half of the firing squad shot down Grieger, who toppled back from the direct impact to his chest, only to land on Cole.

Kuo, having shakily gotten up, watched in shock as Cole was squashed. "Cole!" She screamed as she launched herself at the militia. Kuo was _mad,_ as an agent she had been trained to never lose her cool in a fight. To approach it with a tactical sense and never let her emotions get the best of her. All of that training went down with Cole. She shot several arcs of ice at those closest to Cole and Grieger. She put a lot more force into it then usual and took pride that they hit their marks and put them down, despite the lack of accuracy causing them to be hit in the torso-area instead of the head. When she landed, she realized that the rest had managed to get behind cover, and had assembled a sort of firing squad on her too. With all the killing intent she could muster, she slammed her palms flat on the concrete floor, sending out a glass thin layer in a wide area along the floor. She hadn't thought of what she was doing and acted on impulse, but quickly realized that unless they suddenly decided to run at her, she had accomplished nothing. That is until the ice reached the feet of the closest men, and they froze instantly, while their brothers in arms watched in horror. The ice was about halfway to the next factory, and was starting to slow, but the men stood there gawking and were also caught up in the monumental attack, pure terror flashing across their eyes as their final moments were spent bumbling to avoid their inevitable fate. _Oh my God, what was that? I know I've never been able to that until now._ Kuo was always a bit jealous of Cole, and even Nix, as much as she detested the fact. Their powers were always more brutal. Cole's especially, hell, he had to tone his down for precision so as to not hit any civilians. Nix didn't care about that though, and used her powers without restraint, though they were significantly weaker than Cole's, evening out the playing field. Kuo, on the other hand, relied heavily on precision, as her powers where strong, but not nearly enough as to where she could be sloppy. Freezing a man's brain with one well placed shot ended up being easier than four or five to his chest, which was almost always covered.

" Well, let's see _what else_ I can manage."

As she noticed a lone gunman making his way across a roof, she was deciding on how to take him out when she realized he had stopped running and was quickly lining up a shot at Grieger, also hurting Cole with the splash. With a moment of thought behind it, she shot of a continuous stream of ice at the man, only touching the end of it with her finger as it went flying to the man. She was pleased to see her idea worked when the man was sent flying up into the air a good 5 yards higher into the air and off the roof. She had shot a long pole of sorts at the man, having gained the idea from an experiment she had done with launching herself through the air with ice. Seeing that no one else was in the immediate vicinity, she ran back to Cole. "Grieger, I need you to wake up now." For the first time since his final transformation, she saw Grieger's face. She would have like to say she could still notice some features that Grieger might have retained, but sadly his face was hideously distorted to the point that no one would have been able to differentiate him from the normal ice monsters. _No wonder he kept his visor on at all times. To think of what he thought of himself, no longer being able to call himself even remotely human, at least I had that. Poor, poor Grieger. _Seeing as how Grieger was in no state to respond, much less get up, she began to panic. Cole had been under there for at least a few minutes now, and she was beginning to wonder if even his super-human strength had been enough to survive the initial slam. _No, can't afford to think like that. Come on girl, you can do this damn it! Think!_

"Oh my God." That's when Kuo had seen first hand just how efficient her snow pole idea had been. Apparently, it had impaled the man through the gut, instead of just pushing him up, like she had initially thought, and had stabbed into the ground when it landed. The man was ever so slowly sliding down the icicle, and she knew from the size of the wound and where she had hit him, along with the seemingly endless sea of blood on the floor that his death had not been a quick one. That when she grimly realized how to save Cole. She would make a column of ice shoot out underneath Grieger to lift him up. Taking a second look at him she mumbled, "Better make it two." She assumed a crouching position once she had gone to the back of Grieger's head. She sprung up and watched as two towers of ice slowly but surely lifted Grieger to a 45 degree angle. She saw Cole!

"Cole! Cole! Can you get yourself out?!"

"Kuo," he managed to say, albeit weakly. "Come … here." He stuck his hand out to her. That's when she realized his leg was still pinned. She forced the columns a bit higher, sapping the last of the strength she hadn't realized she was using. She pulled out Cole from underneath Griegor, and put him in a corner of the warehouse that miraculously hadn't been blown to smithereens. She took out her radio and called out to Zeke.

"Zeke, zeke? It's Kuo. I'm here at one of Bertrand's warehouses, and Cole's hurt, badly."

There was a short pause before Zeke answered, " I know the district. I'm coming, Cole had told me of this mission. We had thought there to be a Blast Core there. How hurt is he?"

" It's got to be pretty bad, I mean, his leg looks seriously broken, but he hasn't recovered yet. I'll try to get him some power, but he's never been hurt this badly before, not even when that truck rammed us. I think he's more hurt on the inside. Zeke, hurry please."

"I'm pulling up now. Kuo, where are, whoah."

"What's wrong Zeke, are there more milita?"

"No, Kuo, I don't think anyone survived this. Look to your left, you should see me driving up soon."

Kuo did and saw Zeke was quite a distance away. Then she realized just how far her ice had reached. It had gone nearly twice the distance she had seen it reach when it was slowing down. And then all the bodies. Between the ice mercenaries and the milita, there were around 50 frozen corpses. Zeke finally pulled up.

"Damn thankful I didn't slide on that ice, how did you do that Kuo?"  
"I, I don't know. Zeke, there's not time to waste. We have to get Cole back!"

"Alright, I load him up on the back of the pickup and take off, do you mind staying here and loo- ."

"NO! I mean, I don't want to stay here Zeke. The uh, corpses bother me. And I want to make sure to protect Cole. Yeah, yeah, there are plenty of people who would take advantage of his state like this." Kuo said with a bit too much anxiousness for Zeke to fall for it.

_She wants to be with Cole. No, she __**needs**__ to watch over him._ "Alright Kuo, you go ahead and drive on back to the safe house. I'll stick around and see if I can't find that Blast Core. Just let me go ahead and grab these." Zeke said as he grabbed a box next to the still unconscious Cole.

"What are those?" Kuo asked as she buckled up and started the ignition.

"Just a bit of explosives, in case this thing ends up being locked up hard."

Kuo stare at Zeke for about a minute. "You mean to tell me you were going to drive around with Cole and a box of explosives together?! They weren't even tied down!"

"Sheesh, don't worry girl. Besides, it hardly ever rolled around too roughly. Uuuuhh, I think you should get going, for Cole's sake." Zeke stammered as he walked away, hoping that she wouldn't blast him in the back. He didn't let his breath out until he heard the rumble of the truck slowly die down.


	8. Forgiveness

**Hey guys, I just published ch. 7 about two hours ago, and immediately got 2 reviews, gimme a break , that's about 33% of my reviews, and I'm up at 11:45 p.m for this, mostly out of joy. To lazy girl and can't spell, I hope you read the rest of the story and found out where the romance part is going to come in, and I hope the rest of you give me a piece of your mind and leave a review! Don't worry though, I hate those pricks who withhold chapters just to squeeze a few reviews out of people, people will review when your story is bigger and worth reading.**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"How are you so calm?"

"Well, I've seen him hurt badly before, and with all those dirt naps he's been taking absorbing those blast cores, Hell, he's sleeping about a quarter of the time we're together. And with that, I leave you to it. I gotta go work my shift."

"Take care Zeke." As Zeke started to walk away Kuo grabbed his arm. Then quickly let go when she saw him try to hide a flinch.

"Hey, if you could just not tell Cole about anything that happened back there, I'd greatly appreciate it."

Zeke took a long hard look at her. She could see the outlines of his eyes, but couldn't tell if he was sizing her up. "I ain't about to lie to my Brother. But… if he doesn't ask, I won't mention it."

Kuo didn't feel comfortable enough to sit down until she heard the door close behind Zeke. She took her seat next to Cole's bed. He was set up to an I.V., though puncturing his skin had proven to be a bit of a struggle. He looked extremely peaceful, despite his more than chaotic life. Kuo thought about Cole's life. It hadn't been the most peaceful thing growing up, a less than accepting Father who was constantly working , a Mother who would also be gone from home taking up any extra shifts she could manage, and despite it all, he still grew up to be a hero. While, she knew the truth, that he was constantly stressed about being good enough. He didn't gain anything from the people marching the streets for him like most people thought. Without thinking about it, she began slowly stroking his head. The stubble tickled her hands. She absent-mindedly kept stroking his head until she remembered that she hadn't had any physical contact with Cole, _like this_, since her hit on her back at Arlington Cemetery. Her heart fluttered until it almost broke when she realized that the only reason she was doing it was because he wasn't conscious to deny her. She took her hand away, only to hear a grunt from Cole.

"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Unnnhhhh."

_Does he? Could he want me to? _Kuo put her hand back on Cole's head. He made another grunt, but this one sounded pleasant. Blushing a bit she decided to keep it there as long as she could.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Cole was dreaming. In a bit of his head, he knew it. He was in New Marais, with Trish. The rest of his mind pushed the truth as far back as it could, even Cole knew that Cole needed this.

"What are we doing here, Honey?"

"What, I can't spend a little time with our best man?" Cole asked with a smile on his face. "Tisk, tisk. Even after I decided to bring my whole family with me when you said you were fine staying back at Empire."

"Not so loud Cole," Trish scolded him. "You'll wake Tommy up. You know he doesn't sleep as soundly as Amata."

"I know. I'm just glad you're here with me."

"But Cole, we're not. We never were."

"What are you- ." Cole began to question when he noticed that Trish was fading away.

"Cole, you need to understand. We can never be. For all those people, in the future. You did this to yourself, despite it all."

His mind was in a daze. Allowing himself to remember some things, allowing him to have a conversation and think about what he was saying, despite not letting him know that Trish wasn't real.

"But I did that all for power. Not to be more powerful, but to be ready for anything. I'm ready for anything, _anything to save you._ My family."

"Cole, you still can. You can still save the memory of what you could've had."

"But why would I need to?"

"Because you know that this," Trish gestured to their home in Empire that was suddenly there, "is all a lie."

"What do you want from me!?" Cole asked in anguish.

Trish went behind him and started stroking his hair, "I want you to forgive yourself."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Cole opened his eyes. He was facing a wall. He didn't move. Then he realized that he still felt Trish's hands. He turned to face her, hope combined with grogginess clouding his senses.

"Cole, you're awake!" Kuo said taking her hand away. Cole quickly snatched her hand back.

"Kuo." He said with an expression that Kuo would've read as disappointment if she hadn't read his eyes. Was it regret?

"Hey, are you ok? Are you alright? Where are we?"

"Calm down, Cole. We're at one of Zeke's safe houses. How are you feeling?"

"I'm… great. Well, not really. Kuo. We have to talk."


	9. Where were we?

** To Lazygirl, can't spell, and that weird guest who's waiting for little lemons, I thank you all for your multiple reviews. Dunno why all of your reviews aren't going to the reviews on the story, but my gmail. Hadn't noticed them until today, which is Christmas Day by the way! I'm going to be halfway through my school break this Friday, so you'll have one more week of uninterrupted updating! To all of you out there that celebrate Christmas, merry Christmas! Happy holidays to those of you that don't, and for all of those that can't or don't celebrate Christmas, for reasons that aren't dwelled on too much, know that I feel for ya. I have so much, and I truly don't appreciate it. I feel happy I have them, and I'm grateful, but I've never had a day where I didn't live such an easy life, so I don't truly feel for you. I hope that anyone who has such an entitled life to have a Christmas, do what you can for those who don't. And even if you don't have anything to give, remember them, and promise to help when you (Hopefully) are at a better time in your life. **

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Kuo, we have to talk."

Kuo's heart skipped a beat, what for, she had no idea. "Cole, I…"

"No, Kuo, let me go first. I need to get this out. Back when you… you know. I thought I was being shot down with everything I had. But I hadn't. I haven't opened myself up to anyone since Trish. Do you know who she was?"

"Yeah. I, um, read it in a report. You ended up saving a whole team of doctors over her. We, John and I, never understood why Kessler did that. It was cruel and served no purpose. I guessed he was just a sadistic bastard."

"Yeah, he was a bastard. But it wasn't for no reason. He did it to make me stronger."

"What do you mean? How could that make you any stronger?!"

"Kuo, you were an agent! I thought you of all people would know it. To get rid of anything that might have made me hesitate! I can't let attachments make me weak."

"Cole, you wouldn't. I can't believe you let this maniac make you believe that!"

" But the thing was, he was right. In the end, he was right. That being said, I haven't even been interested in another woman since then. But when I think of you, I can't help but see a little bit of Trish in you. You both have such a strong sense of what's right and wrong. Something I always lacked a bit. Kuo, _I'm scared._ The people closest to me in life are always in danger. And yes, even you, can get seriously hurt when you're around me. I promised myself to never be selfish like I was with Trish. But things are different now, at least, a little. That's why I was a bit crass with you, because I took down those walls hoping for the best, and your rejection was a good excuse for me to put them back up. Kuo, can we try again?" Cole said, never breaking eye contact with Kuo.

Kuo was left speechless. This was so unlike Cole. He wasn't acting like that tough, blunt, yet charming man she knew. That's when she realized that unlike her, Cole had never really opened up to her. Sure, he vented, but he never told her what really scared him. To think that she never knew what happened to Trish had affected him so, not to mention the fact that he could somehow agree with a man that her former partner had labeled, "Insane and maniacal." She knew Cole MacGrath, the Demon Of Empire City, The Electric Man- Champion of New Marais, but as far as she was concerned, she barely scratched the surface of Cole Macgrath. "Cole, I don't know what to say." Kuo said with what Cole interpreted as mixed emotions.  
He walked up to her, and grabbed her hand. He put it up to his cheek as he said, " I believe you were saying I was cute," he said with a gleam in his eye.

Kuo opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Cole leaning into a kiss.


	10. Frostbite and Second Chances

Cole's heart was racing. He was actually kind of surprised with himself. He hadn't considered kissing Kuo. It was just a spur of the moment thing. That being said, he was freaking out just as much of a man normally would. Granted, being shot at on a daily basis, not to mention the head trauma incurred by the hundreds of explosions tossing him around like a rag doll, with mutant freaks thrown into the mix would've really made this easy for him. Apparently not, as Cole found himself panicking as Kuo froze up. _Did I freak her out? Oh my God, she must think I'm coming off as some clingy weirdo looking for someone to be Trish!_ All of Cole's worries however dissipated as he felt Kuo react, slightly leaning into the kiss. He wasn't sure whether it was the relief washing over him, the euphoria of having a small fantasy he never knew he had happen in real life, or Kuo's frosty lips making the kiss feel as if it sucked all the breath out of him. And just as quickly as it happened it ended.

"Oh, Cole." Kuo looked at him. For the life of him, he couldn't tell you what year it was, much less what emotion was running across Kuo's face.

"I'm … sorry. I was out of line." Cole said, realizing that he had kind of forced himself onto Kuo.

"Don't. It was… nice." Kuo said with a blush that Cole was finding more and more cute on her.

"Cole. _I'm scared._ I've never… dealt with this." Kuo's blush turned into a tomato shade.

"What do you-… Oh! Well, Kuo. It isn't something you can act through. I mean, yeah, some guys do… Well that was stupid to say."

"I have to admit, MacGrath, you do have a way with words." Kuo said giggling the entire time.

"I sure do." Cole said with a chuckle. He couldn't take his eyes off Kuo as she laughed herself into the chair she had spent the last hours watching over Cole in.

Cole settled himself back down onto the bed, staring at the roof waiting for Kuo to calm down from her hissy fit. "See Kuo? You can't fake this. And this," He says gesturing to her, "Is what ( _dare I say it?) _like about you. You don't need to worry about what to do or say now. Anything less than 100% you would ruin my image of you."

She smiled down at him when she heard that last place. Thankfully, Cole seemed to be really absorbed in counting all the cracks in the roof, and she could say the next part without having to make eye contact with the man. She never considered herself scared of him, but damn if he didn't such an intense gaze, _and a God's body. UH, KUO!_ She mentally scolded herself. She was extremely glad he was staring at the roof now.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Whoah! _Cole was about to ask Kuo if she was alright when he realized that her head probably isn't going to pop. Cole tried his best to not be egotistical. Granted, he didn't think that there were many more people that were stronger than him, at least, not in New Marais. That being said, he couldn't think of many things that made him feel as _great_ as knowing that he was responsible for that blush on Kuo's face. _I wonder if I could… should I?_ "Hey Kuo, did you guys give me any medicine when I was out. I'm all light-headed, my head feels so cold."

The blush on her face could've matched the red sirens going off in the red-light district. _Hehe, Cole, you glorious bastard. _He knew she had been rubbing his head, he distinctly remembered it.

"Um, well, yeah. Actually, no. You see, I was, uh, rubbingyourhead."

"I'm sorry, what was that? I didn't quite catch it." He said with a shit-eating grin plastered on his face.

Kuo realized how embarrassing what she said could've been, managing to blush some more her face was probably going to turn back to normal. She whapped Cole on the back of the head. " Cole MacGrath, you lecherous bastard!"

"Owwwww." Cole faked with a grin on his head. "I was talking about my scalp Kuo. Honest."

"Yeah, yeah, I bet you were." She said, pinching his arm, which she knew would hardly hurt him, so she added her own twist with a touch of ice to sting him, just an incy bit.

"Ow, Kuo! Ow, ow, ow, ow, Ok I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Hahahaha." Cole cried out hysterically.

"I think that Zeke is starting to wear off on you a bit. That naughty mind of your perceived a dirty joke where mine was full of innocence." Cole said, face down on the bed.

"Oh please, innocence my ass. If anyone is corrupting people, it's Nix." Kuo said, gently rubbing Cole's arm.

Cole fully prepared for the ensuing burst of disdain that both girls seemed to harbor against one another, only to be surprised by Kuo's next claim.

"Hey, have you noticed anyone between Nix and Zeke lately?"

"What?"

"You heard me. Do you think there's anything going on there?"

"Again, what?! There's no way. Nix isn't Zeke's type. If emotionally stable is his type. Oh my God, if you can put Daddy issues with Insane in the same category, then that could work!"

"Cole! I'm serious!"

"Hehe, so am I. There's no way in hell. Nix would never go for a guy like Zeke. Now come on. I've been still for too long now. Plus, it's freezing cold in here."

"Sorry, condition that comes with me."

"Well, if you're part of the package, I certainly can put it behind me. Not to mention that we can use that as an excuse for any foggy surfaces when we're together." Cole said as he shot out the window.

"COLE MACGRATH!" Kuo said as she flew to the rooftop across the street.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Do you see them Cole?"

"Yeah." Cole said as he climbed up beside Kuo. Having been chasing one another around rooftops, mostly Cole after Kuo, they weren't surprised when they ran into some militia harassing some random woman.

"So how are we going about this Cole?"

"What do you mean? Kuo, just because we're… together, now, doesn't mean that anything works differently. Well, except for little perks here and there." He said as he pecked her on the check before jumping off the roof, landing with a loud thud, making the two goons turn around and focus on tearing Cole a new one.

"The ol' distract and snuff out, eh? Alright MacGrath, let's give em' hell."


	11. As Alike as Do'H! & You Bastards! Part 1

**Hey guys! Ok, so I've had a few more reviews from some of you guys! Hopefully Can't Spell and Lazy Girl see that I've updated since their reviews, and a shout out to the Devils rivale and J2m0ftw for being the first two people to follow this story, and especially to Devils rivale for being the first favoriting this story, I hope you take pride knowing you were my first… favorite that is. Seriously, thanks for being (hopefully) the first of many people to really like one of my stories. **

"Zeke!"

"Huh, wh-…" Zeke didn't get to finish as he saw the glimmer, then the ensuing bullet tore through him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Sorry Zeke, I can't make it. Kuo says I have to, OW! Ok, ok, _we_ are going out tonight."

"Sorry to bother ya, brother."

"Wow, uh, thanks for taking it so well bro. Next time, I promise."

"No problem Cole. We can't all help it if you're **whipped!** Hahahahaha, I'm making your ringtone a ppwwwtch now. (whip sound, I know, XD )

"Tsk ,whatever man. At least I got a girl." Cole replied, hoping Zeke would walk into his trap.

"Whatever man, at least the last chick I was with sure as hell didn't have me on a leash. At least, not without having established a safe word…"

"Ah, Zeke, what the hell dude?! I don't want to hear that! I got to go. Ya sick bastard…"

"Hehe." Zeke was actually rather disappointed. He just came off another boring shift and was hoping for a little fiesta with Cole and a couple of cold one's. _Well, shit. What now?_ Zeke asked himself. Ya, this gig was about as close to being a super spy as Zeke was going to get, but most people failed to see how his job didn't only consist of vital information extraction and shootouts. There were grueling hours of mind-numbing boringness in between that really cramped the life style. _Maybe, naw, she's too busy to bother with you._ Zeke mentally argued with himself. _Might as well catch a few Z's then. You need your beauty rest, international super spy. _

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Crap, Crap, Crap!" While Nix would _never_ admit it, she was scared. Bertrand was having the militia send a battalion of men to the swamps! While the people of the swamps had to struggle with the normal troubles of life in the bayou, they had to deal with the Swamp Monsters overrunning them too. Throwing in Bertrand's men into the mix practically guaranteed that those who survived had wished they hadn't. Nix _absolutely needed_ Cole right now. She almost teleported past the roof.

"Nix!"

Nix grunted as she pushed Zeke aside, hoping that Cole would be hidden behind Zeke. Panic was already rushing in.

"Nix, hold on girl. I don't know why I didn't think too radio you in! Care for a cold one with me?"

"Not now Zeke! Where the hell is Cole? I need him right now. Call him in on your radio!"

"Whoah, alright. Why don't you use yours thou- oh." Zeke said as he saw what remained of the clip on what was left of Nix's clothes. To be fair, they were practically non-existent in their best condition. That, coupled with the fact that Zeke respected any woman that could incinerate him in an instant, was why he hadn't noticed the poor conditions of what any sane person would call rags. Where most men would've faltered, Zeke shined.

"Hey Nix, I'm glad you're so comfortable around me, but maybe you should look for some extra threads. I might have something for you in that locker over there." Head level and straight, as what Nix hoped his eyes were as well, for his sake. _Damn those shades! Now I can't even pretend that he snuck a peek and mess the foo' up_

"Ahhh, whatever. You call him now though!" She said, teleporting off with a bundle of clothes in tow.

"You're welcome, no problem, really." He mumbled as he tried to radio in on Cole unsuccessfully for the next few minutes.

"Yo, you get him yet." Nix said as she teleported herself to have her hand on Zeke' shoulder.

"No, but I kinda expected that. They're out on a date now, ya know?" When she didn't respond, Zeke turned around to face her, realizing how she might not have known that they were a thing now. He decided he still had time to gauge any reaction on her face. He saw doubt.

"You mean they're making the bedrock?!"

"Wow, never imagined such sultry language from a proper lady such as yourself, but no. Yeah, they're together now, but I doubt they'd go that far. Little funfact about Cole, it took him two years to convince Trish to go on a date with him."

"Wow. That's amazing. Not that stupid bullshit you said, but the they part. Cole gave the ice bitch the cold shoulder, seeing as the Ice Princess shot him down. AAhhh, none of this matters though. Zeke, we gotta go!"

"I'm in."

"The militia are going to, wait? What? Just like that?"

"Yeah, it sounds like this is important to you. I'm in, no matter what it is."

"Alright, I'll find us a car, you hurry up and get geared up for a fight." With that Nix zipped off, presumably to help some unknowing Saint help them accomplish their noble mission.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

" So that's why we gotta go stop the militia."

"Wow, Nix. I never knew you cared so much. Seriously, this seems awfully kind of you? Any reason in particular you're so eager to help?" Zeke knew he was in this no matter what, but had to admit he was more than a tad bit curious as to who Nix was. He figured this could get a little of her past out in the open.

"I lived here in New Marais my whole life. My Momma always told me how hard those people lived. The worst of poverty, where money wasn't even the usually kind of payment. I figure that these people have enough on their plates."

Hell if that wasn't one hell of an evasion, but Zeke wasn't about to push the subject.

"Zeke, pull up here. This is as close as I want to be in the car. We trek it on foot from here."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Never done a note down here, anyways, just to clarify some things, yes, Nix still lived in the Bayou, but she isn't about to tell anyone that, not yet at least. When Kuo rubbed Cole's head, we're talking about his scalp, you dirty apes! And yes, I am officially going to be working on making Zeke and Nix a couple, though the transition will be hard work , seeing as their personalities kind of clash. I will be staying true to their in-game personalities, or as close as possible. We'll still be seeing Cole and Kuo often, and where being in a relationship changes and doesn't change things. ~That Anonymous Prick**


	12. As Alike as Do'H! & You Bastards! Part 2

**Hey guys, it's that Prick again! Good news, we broke 1,000 views! I didn't think the story would take off so quickly in only one month! I'm going to go ahead and delete that Fallout story I had, that judging from the views, most of you haven't noticed! Seriously though, this is so great, and I want to thank all of you who are following the story, even if you don't have an account to make it official. Thanks a ton you guys, and p.s. if anyone is interested in sending me some cover art for Kuo and Cole, pm me or leave a review and we'll talk.**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Nix, remember." Zeke whispered as he slowly crawled along a fence.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Nix said from a top a tree using her new radio, courtesy of Zeke.

"I ain't no pushover, but I also don't shoot anything from my hands. I need a gun to do that."

"Yeah, I hear you man. Just remember to shoot the black tar when I call out to you. I'll try to be near you whenever I do that, so don't sweat it."

"Alright, I'm ready. On your mark."

"Zeke, are you sure you wanna go through dis? If we do, we can't leave no one to see wha' happened."

"Don't worry about it, I wouldn't recognize anyone, and neither would they. Bertrand has a kind of exploitable rule where everyone in one district are the only militia they know. Now, let's do this."

Nix shot a volley of bolts around the perimeter. With Zeke's help, they managed to open up several pockets of swamp gas, noticeable only by the rank smell these men had been putting up with for days. The ensuing explosion didn't really impress Nix. It was more like cotton flash, one instant there was fire everywhere, and the next it was gone.

"I think it worked." Zeke said a little disturbed, as the cries of those on fire rang out among the camp. "Crap!"

When Nix heard a shot rang out, she leapt from the tree. Nix, granted, didn't even do more than ten seconds worth of climbing, seeing as she just teleported to any branch that looked steady enough to hold her. As she plummeted towards Earth as non-chalantly as possible, she noticed that all the troops in the buildings and highest of guard towers had escaped the blast.

"Damn, we'll git rid of them te' fun way then." Nix said, smiling viciously. As soon as she managed to angle herself to the nearest tower, she teleported herself back up into the air. The sudden g-force being redirected so quickly damn near ripped Nix apart, but the pain subsided as quickly as it came.

"Gotcha!" The poor bastard scanning the area had just enough to time to look up and catch a brown blur flying towards him when Nix impaled him.

"Zeke. I'm in one of the towers! They're starting to reorganize. Hurry up man!"

"I'm there Nix."

She proceeded to walk to the side of the tower facing the fence and saw Zeke amidst the shrubbery. Once more she dived head-first over the railing.

"_What the hell_ is it with you deviants and falling?!" Zeke said with a chuckle.

"You jealous of us, super-spy?" Nix said, hugging him from behind. Managing to teleport back to the tower in only three short bursts.

"You know Nix, I've seen you teleport stuff with just your hand on them."

"Yeah, those things are usually small too." Nix said with a scowl on her face. She turned around to find that sniper rifle that guard dropped.

"Besides, the more contact I'm in with something, the easier it is to take with me."

"Uh huh. OK. Let's get to work then Nix."

"Here, you'll want to take out the other towers first."

"Really? I didn't know. Can you show me how to load a gun too while you're at it?" Zeke said, loading a round into a clip.

"Sure, you grab the butt, shove it in there, and force it in if it doesn't fit." Nix said, a mischievous grin on her face as she teleported over to the ever growing crowd of "soldiers."

"Hehehe. Alright, let's get started." Zeke had a shot lined up, a man hiding behind a crate, firing off potshots at Nix. _Heh, alright. Just squeeze, don't pull_. Zeke tried not to squirm when he saw a small fountain of pink ensue. He often thought on how easy Cole made killing seem, how it almost wasn't really killing. It was a lot more surreal when you pulled a trigger, and even more so when you did it hand to hand. If he was honest with himself, Zeke had gotten the idea of inventing the Amp just so Cole wouldn't have to beat Reapers to death with his bare hands anymore. That was truly terrifying. Zeke continued to take out men taking cover from Nix's barrage.

"Zeke, now!"

He had to put the rifle down for a second to see where Nix ended up. He saw that she had five men who had dug down in cover where Zeke couldn't take them down.

"Just shoot the tar like we practiced already!"

"Don't got to tell me twice!" Zeke carefully aimed at the base of the tar, and took the shot. He couldn't actually see the explosion, so he yelled at Nix for confirmation.

"Yeah, we got em'. Those suckers fried alright."

"I'm coming down then." Zeke put the rifle down and was contemplating jumping over the rails when Nix reported that she was going inside the main building to look for stragglers.

"Oh well. Down the donkey-ball sucking stairs I go." Zeke said with a sigh. He damn near tripped when he got to the last few steps. He paused after finally stumbling down.

". . . . . . Did you trip?"

"OF course not!" Zeke said, involuntarily puffing his chest out for no one to see.

"Hahahahahahahahaha! Oh my God, Zeke Dunbar, Super-Spy just met his only foe, his two left feet!"

"Hn. Whatever. Did you find anything yet?"

"No. I'm almost to the top. I'll see you in a minute."

For a while, Zeke slowly lumbered towards the main gate. He had his six shooter out and about the entire time, and only let his guard down when he saw Nix. She was waving over at him.

"Zeke!"

"Huh, wh- ." Zeke stopped as he saw a distant shimmer. Then he felt the bullet tear through him.


	13. Powerhouse

**Hey guys! I started a new fic that really grabbed my attention for the longest time. It became as popular as this story at only 3K words and with only a week, so it became my main priority. But seeing as how I can't just let this story die I've decided to continue it. Hopefully someone out there will read it, seeing as how I doubt any of the original readers still remember this story. **

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Well, here we are madame."

"I feel severely underdressed."

"Well, someone has to take the effort to make this relationship romantic, seeing as I dressed up I didn't expect you to. Don't worry Kuo, it's just lunch."

"Alright, and bullcrap you dressed up. Wearing a black, sleeveless t-shirt and ditching the backup and amp doesn't count!"

"I think it does, seeing as I deviated from the standard uniform. Unlike you…" Cole said as he held open the door to the Olive Garden. "… by the way, while I totally dig it, don't you think the lacy top is a little inappropriate? I mean, you're an ice princess now to most of the little kids in New Marais. Is that the kind of standards you want to make to for your admirers?"

"Cole McGrath! I've always been a conservative dresser and I feel that this attire is appropriate. And don't you dare bring up admirers. I've more than been tempted to freeze a woman or two who were obviously ogling you. Even now, you wear tight shirts that show off you physique and ignore the stares!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Cole said, attempting to keep a straight face as his façade was seen through. Truth be told he rather liked the ogling, even if no one could ever replace Trish.

"Sir, your seats are this way." Said a perky blonde in uniform with what most men would say was a melting smile full of dazzling teeth. Cole gave her a quick look and then grinned, much to Kuo's dismay. He proceeded to turn to her and wink mischievously, before setting off on a short power walk as to avoid being turned into a Popsicle.

Kuo followed the duo until Ms. Deadman walking stopped next to a booth.

"I'm sorry. This is all we have, hardly date appropriate, but's it's been a busy day. You don't mind do you?" She said, the lighting making it look like she was only looking at Cole while Kuo know that was ridiculous; she was obviously asking both of them.

The Electric Man took a seat in the booth and put his hands on table top, pushing himself up against the wall. Kuo sat down on the other side.

"I think we'll be just fine."

The waitress put her hands down, on top of Cole's.

_It's a coincidence. _Kuo thought.

She leaned over towards him. Her uniform's one undone button had no effect on her shirt until she leaned forward.

_I'm sure she isn't aware._ Kuo reasoned.

"You see anything you'd like?" The platinum blonde asked.

_You haven't even handed us menus!_

Before Kuo could do something she would probably, eventually grow to regret, Cole looked the blonde beauty in the eye, leaned forward, Kuo's heart lurched as it seemed he intended to kiss the waitress, and he…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"… by the way, while I totally dig it, don't you think the lacy top is a little inappropriate? I mean, you're an ice princess now to most of the little kids in New Marais. Is that the kind of standards you want to make to for your admirers?" Cole was just teasing. _God, I hope she doesn't change anything. _Cole thought with a tinge of regret if Kuo decided to cover up a bit more. He was busy debating when he became such a dumbass when the peppy waitress suddenly jumped into his peripheral vision.

_Eh, she's hot, but she's no Kuo. How can she even think to compare? I guess the bullies of High School always outshined the prettier timid girls in High School, I'm guessing the same rules have always applied for her. Maybe If I play my cards right. _Cole found himself droning and toke a quick look at the girl. _Twenty two, tops. _ He gave her a grin, hoping no one would notice it was a bit forced, before looking back at Kuo and winking, beginning his devious plan. Cole had never been very romantic. That too seemed to change when he gained his powers. He knew it was just the renewed sense of confidence, but boy did it work wonders. When they finally got to their seats, he found he had missed what the waitress had told him and just sat down, immediately sliding down into the seat and having to push himself back up.

_Well, this sucks._ "I think we'll be just fine." Cole had to resist the urge to lift his eyebrow when the courageous waitress * I rhymed!* put her hand on top of this. _Wow, at least she's better at showing people what she wants._ Cole almost laughed.

"You see anything you'd like?" She asked as she leaned forward, tempting Cole to look into the now obvious cleavage the uniform had managed to hide. With a grin, he leaned forward towards her, his breathe hitting the side of her face with his just inches next to hers, slowly moving towards her lips. Seconds before contact he leans to her right, obstructing his view of Kuo, and whispers in her ear.

"That powerhouse of a woman that you've practically ignored over there has got this really kinky super power gig going for her and it's really, really rocking my world. And if you keep this up she'll rock your world for the very short existence she'll allow you to live."

The waitress paled, looking over at Kuo for the first time and realizing that the woman herself was as pale as her and literally had frost coming off her arms.

"I'll come back f- for your –orders soon! S-sir, ma-ma'm." The terrified waitress squeaked before scampering off to the kitchen.

"What did you say?" Kuo asked, relieved that Cole hadn't done the unthinkable.

"Oh, nothing. I just asked her if she wanted to meet up for a threesome later." Cole said, hoping to keep up the impression of an asshole.

Kuo kicked him, before blushing, looking down and muttering, just barely loud enough for him to hear, "so it's rocking your world eh?"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**So she heard everything! Way to go Cole! I hope you guys liked the chapter and I'm in need of a beta reader, so anyone that's interested, leave a review or pm me!**


	14. Stuck Between a Tipsy Kuo and a Couch

**Previously on "If I Had Been A Little Nicer."**

**Kuo kicked him, before blushing, looking down and muttering, just barely loud enough for him to hear, "so it's rocking your world eh?"**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX **

Kuo couldn't help it. She was celebrating mentally. She didn't know why, but it felt so good. _Take that you blonde hussy! Hah! _If Kuo wasn't so satisfied, she would've been aghast at how she was acting. _Confidence Kuo, it's always been your strong suit girl! Keep him on his toes!_

Cole was quite surprised, and honestly left speechless. He was so used to superhearing letting him mutter beneath a whisper of a breathe. He almost had a stroke when he saw Kuo look up and wink at him. A 2nd waiter, a man this time, approached the duo with a bit of a grin on his face.

"What can I get for the lovely couple today? Have you decided what you'd like for drinks yet?"

"I'll be having a coke please." Cole said, looking over at Kuo afterwards.

"I'll take the pink lemonade." Kuo said, a dazzling smile on her face.

"Very well, here are your menus. I'll go get the drinks right away." The waiter didn't depart though, and Cole gave him an amused face, expecting the man to ask for an autograph or a picture.

"Can we help you with something?" Cole said, hoping he didn't sound harsh. To his surprise, the waiter smiled and leaned in.

"I want to thank you for taking Natalia over there down a peg. She can be a real bitch sometimes, I think all the guys here and most of the women thank you too!" The man had been looking at Kuo when he said it, though he did look over at Cole .Cole only smiled, slightly shocked with how upfront and casual the waiter was being.

Kuo decided it was now or never.

"Polite and cute, I think I like this one." Kuo said in what she hoped was a sultry voice. She proceeded to take a small breathe, and lightly blew on the man's cheek. The tiny gust was cold, borderline freezing, and a slight snow appeared for a second before Kuo abruptly stopped. With half his face chilled and the other half blushing, the waiter quickly departed with a final look at Cole.

"Well. I'm guessing that was payback?" Cole asked, pleased he'd manage to get a playful side of Kuo out.

"Oh, that was merely a taste." She said with another wink.

Deciding to test the waters and hoping he didn't rock the boat too badly, Cole boldly said, "You know, I can think of a number of instances where that little trick you just pulled would really come in handy." He just about died when Kuo responded.

"Oh, you'll have to show me sometime." She whispered into his ear. If Cole hadn't put down his head in modest bashfulness, he would've seen a mischievous glint in Kuo's eyes that portrayed determination.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After a meal of pasta and steak, which Cole was ashamed to have not even eaten all of his pasta and then forced to watch Kuo devour a steak, and a rather kinky game of footsie initiated by Kuo, who had quite a shocking surprise when she learned Cole could conduct electricity through his shoes.

"I think it's about time we head out, don't you?" Cole said, smirking at the three emptied glasses of alcohol that Kuo had assured him she could handle.

"Your god damn right it…is! Too bad I won't get to see that cute waiter anymore though." Kuo said, Pumping her finger into The Electric Man's chest.

"Kuo, I understand you're drunk, so I won't be too hurt." Empire City's Demon said with a lopsided grin.

"I'm not drunk, you'reee drunk. Oh! Cole, let's go flying! Fly with me!"

Cole reached out to latch onto Kuo's arm to stop her but was a second too late and looked to the roofs to try and see if Kuo really could fly drunk. To his surprise, he saw her standing on top of a building a block away waiting for him. Deciding to double time it just in case Kuo got tired of waiting, Cole quickly climbed a light pole and leaped onto a building. Using his thrusters to just barely glide along, Cole reached Kuo in under a minute, a grin plastered on his face.

"Nothing beats a good run."

"I could think of something, mister." Kuo said, leaning forward into Cole's chest.

"Mmmmm. Naw, I shouldn't. Alright, time to get you to sleep, and maybe some water."

"Mhhhhhhh. Keep the bed, lose the sleep, and I'll go along with _anything_ you do." Kuo whispered into Cole's ear, breathing a bit more heavily than intended and leaving Cole's ear a bit numb.

"Alright then, _Lucy,_ first one to the roof gets, well, I guess we'll decide there…" Cole said huskily, having no intention of doing so and hoping Kuo wouldn't realize that Zeke would most like be at his home.

"Oh, Cole, I already know what's going to happen." Kuo pushed off of Cole's arm and teleported to the top of a gas station's roof.

"Wrong way Kuo!" Cole said, making a dash towards The Roof, figuring he might as well race Kuo, seeing as her drunkenness makes up for her ability to fly.

Despite a few tumbles along the way, Kuo still managed to win Cole by an entire minute, much to his quickly deteriorating ego.

"Alright,_ McGrath_, I won. Onto the couch, lose the pants."

"It must be nice to get drunk enough to be so lax," Cole muttered under his breathe enviously.

Cole **did **end up sitting on the couch, but his pants remained on, much to Kuo's dismay. He motioned for Kuo to sit down with him, and she quickly plopped down into his lap, twisting around for a kiss.

"Kuo…" He rumbled an octave lower than usual as he gave her a chaste kiss. "Go…to…sleep." He wrapped his arms around her and dropped his chin onto her head.

"You treat me so horribly." Kuo muttered followed by an exasperated sigh.

"You'll thank me in the morning." Cole said, glad Kuo had ceased her advances against his, utterly, utterly human defense. A bit more of prodding and a little work from Kuo and Cole doesn't know what would've happened. Although, he had a fairly certain idea he did.

Grinning, he let himself fall sideways into the couch, never letting go of Kuo and managing to not laugh at the slight squeak she gave . With a slight turn, Cole was pinned between the couch and Kuo, who had pushed off his chest to snuggle back into it right away. With his backside quickly warming up and his chest cooling due to the proximity of Kuo, Cole found himself extremely comfy and was falling into sleep's gently embrace in a matter of minutes, finding himself in the rare moments of tranquility and peace that evaded him in his rather chaotic life.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Well hey guys! Anonymous Prick here! Glad you guys are enjoying the story! Maybe drop a review, at the very least, follow the story if you like what you see so far, since my erratic schedule hardly ever let's me keep a good rhythm going with updates. How about that Zeke cliffhanger? Keeping up the romance between Cole and Nix is getting harder, I'm afraid I'm going to start writing random fluff and filler. **


End file.
